Whisper in the winds
by A Lonely Gray Kitsune
Summary: Rated PG-13 for language and brief violence. Just an note, no chapter yet, I'm afraid.
1. Default Chapter, or perhaps a Prolouge

"Whisper in the winds", a fanfic by A Lonely Gray Kitsune.

AN: Excuse any hideous errors, this my first fanfic.

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It was beautiful, this thing, this dream she had created. Endless fields of vibrant, joyous green grass, life seeming to pulse from the scattered trees, and a white globe shone gently down, blessing the land with a warm glow that covered it like a blanket. And in the center, was not what I had expected….

Streaks of red, sitting upon a black form…

I had expected the champion of this world she resided on, "Sonic", to be the vision nestled in her dreams. Instead, I found this.

She walked towards the form. But it was not a form, it was a person, it was…

"Shadow?"

It turned around. And there he was. The same black fur. The same crimson streaks, and the same eyes…. eyes that reflected so much pain… so much loss… so much loneliness…. she wanted to help him, she who felt this pain as well… 

She put a hand to his cheek.

"Shadow…"

And suddenly, he was falling. Falling backwards into a black void lit by a false light, empty stars, a cold void. She tried to call his name, but the words would not come, no matter how desperately she wanted to say them. She reached out, her own eyes filled with pain, sadness, desperation…. She felt if she could just call his name, he would come back, and everything would be alright…

And suddenly, he disappeared, swallowed by the icy void. And only now, would that one name, that one salvation, come.

"SHADOW!"

And she woke.

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Amy Thorn Rose looked out the window of her apartment. It was one in the morning, but time, for the moment, had no meaning to her. To her, the night was all a blur of inky black sky dotted with stars trying to break through the arrogant, artificial light that man summoned forth. It was this light that illuminated the tear streaks on her soft, pink-furred face. 

It had been two weeks since Shadow gave himself to death. Sonic had taken it hard; he had made a rival and friend in Shadow. Someone he could relate to in ways he could with no other. He had almost found a brother, in a way….

He tried to set up a façade of coping, doing what the Sonic everyone knew would do, yet Amy could see past that. She didn't know how, she just could. Just like she could see that he didn't….

She sighed. She could see it, even before the Ark incident. He thought of her as nothing more than a clingy, starry eyed fan girl, an obsessed child, a child… nothing more. Oh, he did feel some form of affection towards her, but it wasn't love. Not the kind she wanted, anyway. To be honest, she had really known for some time, she just refused to admit to herself. Now that she had, a dull burning was now in her soul, and the only thing that cooled it, was Shadow.

She didn't know exactly what it was that attracted her to him. No, she _did_ know, it was the eyes. The wounded eyes of a lost soul, a soul void of love and thirsting for revenge, dwelling on such darkness in itself… yet, it held a sadness. These eyes, they had seen the loss of someone they loved dearly, perhaps too much so. They had seen this person die, and that tore them apart, yet not irreversibly so. 

They still longed for love, affection, warmth, things they had been deprived of for so long. Someone to hold when the pain became too much, so that they would not fall, not collapse when there memories and darkness bared down on them. He needed someone like that, and Amy felt an odd need to be that person, and perhaps something more…

She closed her eyes and bowed her head slightly. That would never be now, she thought. He would never be healed, never be happy…

And neither would she. She closed the curtains of her window, covering the white light that illuminated her face.

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And I watched, and realized that things would soon change. Madness and Disease would make themselves apparent soon. I knew Disease would manifest as one person, perhaps he already had, but Madness... oh, Madness never appeared as one single thing. He always made himself known through events, whether humorous, horrible, or just weird, he would announce himself. I hoped that he would leave these children of light to themselves, they would soon have enough to deal with on there own. 

Anthers Notes: Wow, my first fanfiction! Neat. I had originally planned to write something like this back in November, a Ranma ½, Excel Saga fusion involving a few original characters. That slowed to a stop after chapter one. The non-original characters were quite OOC, though I expected that. What happened is that I had been infect with writes block, until this night, February 21 2003, when I got tired of waiting for it to go away and wrote this. And just for your general amusement, I'm making this up as I go along. I have a basic plot outline, but anything can change. Yeah… its 11:30 right now. Go me. Oh, and please review! I need criticism! I must improve! I MUST! OH, and flames will be given to my raccoon furry girl, who will look at them with typical curiosity, and them eat them. She needs her vitamins. Right. (Actually, if you flame me it will crush my spirit. Please don't do that.) That's all I have to say to you. The next chapter will be out… someday. Maybe soon, I right best at night, and circumstances don't allow me to frolic in the dark too often. Okay, that's all I have to say to you. 

You still reading this? Go away! Let me brood in peace!


	2. Day One, Cold and Light

Disclaimer: Ahem. Sonic the Hedgehog does not belong to me. It belongs to SEGA. Lucky devils. 

It was the dead of night, and if you looked at the streets, the phrase might have taken on a literal meaning. Not a single living thing was outside; no humans, whether gifted with a home or not; no rats, no dogs, no birds, no nothing. I was cold, the pavement, buildings; the motionless cars were all cold, offering no light to the emptiness.  The street lights shone dully, casting a dark orange glow to these abandoned, empty streets.

He didn't notice.

A van drove down these streets. There was nothing odd about this van; dark blue, a license plate, a few dents in the doors, nothing unusual, except perhaps for the windows. They were blacked out, save for the front. The orange hue filled the front of the van, yet it did not brighten it. In the driver's seat sat a man. This man was most unlike his van; although he too was clad in a dark blue, he was not cold. In fact, he was quite warm; the air was very humid around him. He seemed to be damp, and had some bright blue liquid dripping off of him, each drop creating an aura of color around them that danced and warred with the dull orange glow of the light. Stubble had colonized on his face. 

The man had plenty of reason to smile, things were going his way, yet, he would not. He refused to, not now, not so prematurely. He would not smile until his task was done, only then would he show any signs of joy, and sense of victory. Soon, very soon….

He drove down the cold, dead streets. He was close now, very close. He had been driving for days, looking for this place. His goal was upon him now; he could almost taste it, but not yet! We would not breathe in his success until it was all around him, in the very air, saturating him. Yes, very soon….

The van drove until it reached a bridge that crossed over a large lake, a black lake at the moment. He veered sharply towards the right side of the bridge. He drove over.

So close! Almost, a few more seconds, and it would be his! The inky blackness of the water waited. The waters in this lake had always been dark, as though a cold, dark void where light did never play, where all that existed was the darkness. No life, no light. No love. It filled his vision now, this sign of his victory. It spread its arms out to swallow him whole. 

He let out a single, dark grin, and a tongue snaked out to taste the air of the victor. The front of the van touched the blackness. 

The van exploded into a fireball of fluorescent blue. 

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It was the middle of the morning, and the streets were alive. Well, not they themselves, which was a shame. In their stead, people. Going to work, meetings, breakfast, Hell, wherever, people were moving. The sun shone down, giving light to these people. Some drunk it in, others found themselves to busy, and others still stupidly shunned it because there eyes got in its way. One, however, treated it as a companion. 

This one was different from the rest, a hedgehog, one Amy Rose. She sat in the currently idyllic park under a shaded tree, the sunlight lapping at her boot-clad feet. She treated it almost as a pet that had jumped up onto her lap; she shifted her feet through it, acknowledged it, yet did not give it her full attention. Instead, she mulled over her problems. A blue hedgehog becoming out of character, distracted and distant. A red echidna with a deep, moaning loneliness she could vaguely relate to. A young orange kitsune with more burdens than one his age should have to bear, a white bat with an obsession and a potential love that warred with it, and the cold, metal threat that loomed over them all, at any time. These were the states of people she vaguely considered friends; they she didn't normally talk much to them. However, this had changed after the past two weeks. They had run into each other more often, save Knuckles, who said he'd visit when he had the chance. Apparently he hadn't yet. 

She felt like she should help, but how? Sonic wouldn't talk about whatever was bothering him, Knuckles was basically inaccessible, Rouge was nigh impossible to find, and Tails…. 

"Hi."

…. was right there. 

"Hi" Amy responded.

"Mind if I sit down for a minute?"

Amy smiled, and nodded. Tails sat.

A pause, and then.

"You're worried about Sonic, aren't you?" Amy was especially concerned about Tails, perhaps because of his youth, or perhaps because she just saw something in him. 

"Of course." He said, not taking his eyes off a leaf that had fallen into a patch of light.

"So am I. He-"

"He seems haunted by something," Tails said, as though he was speaking more to himself than Amy, "He told me he keeps seeing a dream that's real, but it isn't at the same time."

Amy's eyebrows slowly raised "A dream…."

"Yeah. Not his exact words, but close. I'm worried. He's been getting more and more reclusive, more edgy, its like he needs to find something soon, and he can't let anyone know he's looking for it."

Amy didn't say anything. Tails tore his gaze away from the light bathing leaf. He looked at the pink dreamer.

"You've stopped chasing him."

Amy nodded in response. "I know he doesn't love me. I've known for a long time."

Tails seemed surprised. "Really? But you-"

Amy cut in. "I was trying to hold on to a dying dream. Then I met…"

"Hmm?" inquired Tails.

"It doesn't matter. He… moved away not too long ago. I haven't seen him since."

"Oh. I'm sorry." 

"It's okay." She responded with no conviction whatsoever. 

"No, it's not, I can tell."

Amy just looked down, a despondent look on her face. "I can relate to Sonic more than I'd like too…" she whispered quietly. 

Tails looked at her with sympathy and concern. "Amy…."

She looked at him, and smiled. "Don't worry about it. I'm fine."

Tails didn't look satisfied, but relented. 

She sighed, and said, "Look, Tails, I think Sonic will sort whatever this problem is out. It's probably just coping with… you know…." She couldn't even say his name right then.

Tails shook his head. "I don't think Shadows the problem, at least not the whole problem." He continued. "I don't think he's just dealing with Shadows death."

A flash of pain went through Amy. iGet a hold of yourself!/i She thought.

Whether this pang of emotion went unnoticed by Tails or not is his knowledge alone. 

"I guess not… well, I better go get some breakfast. Can you join me?" A friendly smile from Amy.

"Sorry, I actually came into town to get some parts, but thanks anyway." An apologetic smile from Tails. 

"Oh. Alright then, I'll see you!" She hid her disappointment well. 

"Kay, bye!" Tails answered as he ran off to get mechanical things which I know nothing of.

Amy sighed. She always ended up alone, save for things like this tree, and she had come to learn these things did nothing more than mock the little outcast, now that they could no longer patronize her. 

The patches of light that made it through the leaves over her head did little to warm her. 

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Somewhere, within a citadel of icy steel and black oil, a man brooded, hunched over, mulling over the familiar taste of defeat. Its dark mind tuned and twisted, a maelstrom of ideas and thoughts. Some were sent into garbled incoherency, while others became more solid, alive, only to be struck down and sent into the same pit as their brethren. 

In short, Robotnik had hit strategists' block. 

He just couldn't think of a plan that he knew the hedgehog couldn't foil, couldn't overcome. He searched and plumbed the depths of his mind, and nothing. He had to move, attack, now! Sonic was most likely shaken by Shadow's death to some degree, he knew him well enough to know that. He had to come up with something he could do, something the hedgehog would be caught off guard by! But, nothing. A golden opportunity was slipping through his fingers. Just as he was ready to pull his hair out (never mind the fact he has no hair) a noise grabbed his attention. A noise that sounded like a light breeze, a whisper, almost. He listened for it.

iIvo…./i

There! What was it!? 

iIvo…./i

iI'm listening!/i he thought, iWhat is it you want to say!?/i

iYou in trac…/i the whisper punctuated the "trac"

"What?" he said, as though he were listening to his god.

…….

It was gone.

Robotnik slumped, and sighed. That voice, that whisper, it was something, important… yes, the key to his victory! And he could barely hear it, and what he could hear made no sense. 

He would spend the rest of those waking hours, as day and night had no meaning in his metal cocoon, listening for that sound. It wouldn't come.

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And I myself mull over these events. The van means something, but what? Is it a trick, a trap by Disease or Madness? Where was Comfort, my sister? And the voices; a product of the Eggman's madness, and as such my enemies' concoction, would he use it? I had much I needed to learn before I could interfere. I continued to watch.

AN: And the funky dance begins! First of all, I would like to thank the two people who reviewed. You guys are awesome. I'm going to be picking Amy's brain throughout this convoluted mess, but through dream sequences more than her waking hours. And… expect updates… when I write something. Maybe weekly. Or not, I write when the muse whips me. I'll try to get something up at least bi-weekly, like this one. Once again, please review. I love reviews. Constructive criticism is also helpful. Flames, as I said before, will be fed to my raccoon girl with a large stomach. 

Oh, and catalyst, I love your stuff; I'm just too lazy to review any of it (or anything for that matter). Keep writing, please!

All that said, I'm going to fly away now. Bai! *Explodes*


	3. Night One , Void and Worry

(Because the author has three furries running around in his head with nothing to do, I will now pass the task of forewords to them. Hopefully they will stop plundering innocent hope-islands now, I need those things badly. *AHEM!* With out further ado, say hello to Diet T. Fox, Pink D. Cat, and Cherry I. Racoon! Please note that I am too lazy to give you detailed descriptions of them.)

Diet: Maybe we'll get paid for this.

Pink: O.O PEOPLE! Hiiiiiii!!!! *waves*

Cherry: I…must…have…chicken!

(….this may have been a mistake.)

(Well, anyway, geki-go!)

Diet: Geki?

(Just bloody get on with it!)

Diet: Psh. Fine.

(Thank you….)

Diet: You're interrupting me.

(….)

Pink: Annnnnyway, this is the second chapter of "A whisper in the winds"! Yay! Anyway, lots of weird stuff happens in this one!

Diet: This is HIS fiction. When in his fiction does weird stuff NOT happen!?

Cherry: What, what, what about his school projects?

Diet: Eat the cookie. *gives Cherry a cookie*

Cherry: Oooh! A poor substitute for human blood! Cool! *eats the cookie*

Diet: ….. right. Anyway, the author-type person will probably blab some fish balls about how hes loves reviews and whatnot at the end of this thing. Be sure to read that.

Pink: Please do, and enjoy the story! Ja!

"A whisper in the winds" a fanfic by A Lonely Gray Kitsune

Super duper disclaimer thingy: I do not own Sonic the Hedgehog, in any of its forms. Sega, Archie, Fleetway, and whoever else do. Thank you. 

The room was dark, like a black hole. No light resided within, save the glow of a computer screen. It emitted a pale white light, its color twisting, dictated by whatever happened to be on the screen. Right then, it was white with a news article. A news article that had never been created, never seen….except by one.

She sat, at a table, at this computer, in a chair. She sat, and read the collection of text, this scrap of reality, this piece of knowledge. It spoke of a van falling off a bridge in Station Square, disappearing below the water. It had never been made, never been seen, except by this one person. 

The person was a tan rabbit, young, no older than twenty or so, clad in dark fabric. Orange eyes locked onto the screen, drinking in this truth that did not exist. A soda can stood on one side of the table, waiting to be drunk. It was ignored. As were this girl's feelings. Loneliness, depression, worry. Fear. She blocked them all out, she had to stay alone, people wouldn't understand her, not with what she knew. 

The world was going mad. Not the monkeys on it, the world itself. She was the only living thing that truly knew this. For this, she was alone, cold, and afraid. 

This was her life. And she hated it.

Amy frowned as the sunlight that sat with her disappeared. It was replaced by a gray hue, still light, but not as most think of it. Amy looked up. Her eye was met with water. Her head snapped back down and her eye shut, angered by this intruder. Another rude droplet of water landed on her head. Rain. 

She got up immediately. There was a nearby café that would make good shelter from the bombardment. As she quickly made her way across the park, the light grew dimmer and dimmer, until it seemed almost as night. She entered the café just as the raining began. 

She looked back, glad that she had missed the downpour. She quickly took a seat by the window, one with a table in front of it. The seat had looked lonely. 

"Would you like anything?" a waitress appeared next to her. Certainly she had walked….

"No, I'm fine." 

The waitress exited Amy's life. 

Amy watched the rain pour down the window, vainly attempting to fall with the same velocity it had in the air. 

"So, what do you think of madness?"

Amy's head snapped up to see two businessmen talking in seats near her. She listened raptly.  

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, madness! A loss of sanity, you know?"

"Ah… I don't think much of it, although I expect to experience it soon. What do you think of it?"

"I think it is a loss of perception, dear friend." 

"A loss of perception?"

"Yes. You lose the ability to perceive things correctly."

"But, you perceive things incorrectly, and therefore differently. So, can't it be said that madness is just gaining a new perspective, a different way of seeing the world?"

"Pah! Madness is no more than a skewering of the proper way of seeing things. It's not a perspective in and of itself, just a perverted version of what normal people see."

"I think not. I think that it is a different sight altogether, since you still view the world."

"Then you are a fool. Madness is no more than a broken viewing lens."

"A fool am I? A broken lens is still a lens, not a thing to be fixed, but mayhap… enjoyed?"

"Enjoyed!? Have you gone mad yourself!?"

"Perhaps I have, old friend. But if you, through events in your life, see things from an insane perspective, why not enjoy what so few witness?"

"I think you truly have gone mad."

"Mayhap I have."

"Amy?"

Her concentration was ripped from the conversation. There, beside the seat across from her stood a shadow furred in white.

"Rouge?"

"Amy. Long time no see."

"Where've you been?"

"Ohhh… here and there."

Amy smiled "Always fun places to visit. Trying to stay dry too, huh?"

Rouge grinned back. "Yes. Mind if I join you?"

Amy blinked. There was another chair. Her chair had been alone…

"Sure."

Rouge hesitated for a moment, and sat. 

Amy decided to speak first. "Soooo…. What's up?"

"Nothing really, just been rotting in my apartment." She answered with a wry grin.

Amy frowned. "That's bad for you, ya know."

"Perfectly aware. But, there's really nothing to do. I don't need to work and….."

Amy's curiosity again took hold. "And?"

Rouge suddenly became infinitely more uncomfortable. "Well… oh, hell, I need to tell this to someone, or I'm going to crack…"

Worry now took hold. "What is it?" she asked.

"Well…" and the very air around her seemed to become heavy, "it's Knuckles."

"I haven't seen much of him lately….is he okay?" her voice now manifested this worry.

 "I… I don't know… I haven't seen him… Amy, the floating island is gone. It's… moved."

"Moved?" curiosity mixed with the worry. 

The troubled bat nodded. "Moved. I found it eventually, but it was up too high for me to reach it. Something about it looked…different."

"Different." A vague fear rested upon Amy when she heard that.

"It seemed to be… unstable, like it was just barely staying together."

"W-will it fall apart?!" Amy said in alarm.

"No, no, that's just what it seemed like. I'm sure its fine." The statement lacked conviction.

"Well, I'm sure Knuckles is okay." Amy said, trying to put on a mask of hope.

"I hope so." Rouge said, as though the world were bearing down on her back.

Amy smiled sympathetically. 

Rouge sighed, and began to rise from the chair. "I need to go. Thanks for listening."

"No problem. Anything for a friend!"

Rouge stopped instantly. "Friend?"

"Yeah, a friend." Light seemed to cascade from the comment.

"Th…thanks." Rouge smiled, and abruptly finished rising.

"I'll see you around, I guess?" Rouge said, almost hopefully.

Amy's smile could have warmed the cafe. "Sure." 

Who's to say it didn't?

Rouge smiled back, and left.

Immediately, the warmth around Amy left, and was replaced by the cold that had followed her in. It seems that even if she could avoid the storm, she could not avoid its effects. 

She made a pillow with her arms, and laid her head down to rest. Maybe she'd just doze a bit till the rain let up….

Eyes open. They see…. that alone is grand, but what do they see? A meadow… and a girl, clad in red. A dream. This is what they see.

"This is a dream." Sonic said in realization.

The girl spoke. "Then it is a good dream."

Sonic approached her slowly, almost cautiously, as though she might break. "Yes…. it is…."

She grinned. "Come on, daredevil. Scared of lil' old me?" she said teasingly.

Sonic returned the grin. "Oh, you know I'm not." With that she ran over to her and scooped her up in his arms. 

"Whoa!" a yell of surprise, from the red clad girl.

He grinned. "Whats the matter? Scared of lil' old me?"

She playfully bonked him on the head. "You know I'm not." She returned with equal happiness.

A cloud formed over the blue runner. "This… this isn't real."

"Does that matter?" she responded.

"No, no it doesn't…. what does matter, is are you real?"

All joy left the girl. "Sonic…"

"Answer me." He said, desperation and fear creeping into his voice.

"…."

"Answer me!" The fear seems as terror now, and desperation rampant.

The girl seemed to gain an unimaginable sadness within an instant. "…. I love you. That's all that matters."

"No… I have to know…"

She faded away.

"NO!"

The meadow, the beautiful patch of fantasy disappeared, revealing the endless, thick void around it.

"NOOOOO!!!!"

"NOOOO!!!" 

With that mournful cry, Sonic Hedgehog awoke.

A gasp, and heavy breathing followed. He put his head in his heads. 

"Why?" he asked of the darkness surrounding him. He would receive no answer.

And outside the darkness-plagued room, a child feared for his brother.

Somewhere, a man with a mind of metal questioned the darkness as well. He was wrapped, in a tower, a cocoon of cold, of steel, of lifelessness. He liked it this way. 

He sat, in a red and gray chair, waiting for it. The voice, the thing he knew was his savior, the answer to his prayer! 

Twice he had relied on outside sources. Twice both had turned against him. 

Three times the charm….

iIvo….i

There! There it was!

iIvo….i

"I'm listening…" he whispered to the darkness, with an odd mixture of joy, eagerness and….disgust. 

iYou…..i

"Yes?" his voice did not change.

It faded as it spoke. iYou want to embrace the….i 

"Embrace? What?" his voice, in the opposite of the other, rose as he spoke.

"…."

"Damnit!" he shouted in anger. It was gone again! And again it left no more than puzzles, mocking riddles! 

But he calmed. Patience was necessary. Soon, it would make sense. Soon he would have the power to crush those who opposed them, and their dreams. Soon the land would be coved in a blight none could imagine.

The void that was the absence of light surrounded her. You could barely see the door behind her, from the light of the monitor. It was a dull, lifeless light, a poor companion, but she'd take it. She was scared, horribly scared. What she knew frightened her, but she was glad to know it at the same time. She had to warn them, now, while it was early. If left on their own, they wouldn't survive. She had to-

Knock knock. 

This is what she heard at her door. She knew no one. She had no ties to the world. She took out a gun, and checked a screen on the monitor. A camera was installed outside her door, in case a demon of some sort tried to accost her. And lo, on this screen, a man, clad in a dark gray, with red sunglasses. The lenses seemed to have substance of their own; a sharpness that suggested perhaps that they were eyes themselves. She knew what this was. 

She aimed the gun to where his head was outside the door. 

She fired. Once, and then lowered the gun to his neck and fired again. She glanced back at the camera's screen. It showed the thick black mass that filled it.

And just as her vision turned back, a cold hand grabbed her throat. She shot a bullet through the computer as the hand lifted her. She was brought close to where the light gave into the darkness and saw a cold, grinning face, with a bullet hole right directly between it's eyes. This was the last thing she saw as darkness overtook her. 

"Well! Where in a bit of a stitch, aren't we Voice?" 

I said nothing. 

"Come on, now, you just lost your slave. Pity that." 

Still I said nothing. 

"Worst part for you is, she ain't even dead! But she's useless to you know. A slap in the face, that."

Nothing. 

"Heh. You know you're pissed when you're givin' the silent treatment out." I could just see him grinning. "I'll be seeing you. Mayhap you be singing about my part in this, eventually."

With that he left. My own annoying little brother. Do you have one? More over, do you have one that is the representation of battle itself? 

Do have a game you must watch, as an observer, yet somehow participate in, and dare I say, win? 

I don't think you do. 

And that's that, for now. I'm tired. I need food. Anyway, many thanks go to catalyst for reviewing. I'll have to mail her a cookie. Again, reviews and constructive criticism are immensely appreciated. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go soak my creative nodes in soothing liquids. 

And remember, it's very important to know how to end your comments on your fanfics. Which I don't. Ja!


	4. DayNight Two, Cold and Fears

DISCLAMIER: I do not own Sonic the Hedgehog in any way. Sega does. 

Pink: Hi everyone!

Diet: Again? He really doesn't learn…

Cherry: WHIPPED TOPPINGS!

Pink: …..right. Anyway, it's time for yet another chapter of a "Whisper in the Winds." Tails gets a bit more attention in this one, but nothing to horribly in-depth yet. Maybe next chapter?

Diet: Odd, considering the authors favorite StH character is Tails…

Pink: Yes…. And also, thanks again to Cimmerian for reviewing! The author assures me this is going somewhere, don't worry!

Diet: Suuuuure it is. Right, he knows exactly where he's going. 

Pink: Well, anyway, enjoy the show, and don't burn your eyes out! ^_^

Cherry: ….. I did nothing in this…..

Day. Night. They have no meaning at this hour. It is not the second day, nor the second night. It is a kind of twilight. Look at the sky. You see a sky somehow black and inky, yet a deep, rich blue at the same time. This is the sky the children of light live under in this hour. Is it not beautiful? Is it not as a dream? 

Is it not a dream itself?

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"A Whisper in the Winds", a Sonic the Hedgehog Fanfic by A Lonely Gray Kitsune

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It was beautiful, this world, this landscape she had created. Soft, warm green grass blanketed a landscape blessed by a sliver sun. One tree of white bark and leaf rose up from the otherwise flat landscape. And under that tree was…

"Shadow!" A young, female voice rang out, a voice full of a newborn elation and joy.

A girl pink of fur and red of cloth ran up to the black mass which sat under this tree, a bizarre contrast to the tree. The mass moved, revealing crimson eyes, a pair of scarred, yet happy globes. A smile from the black one.

"Shadow…" the girl said, relief and happiness singing out in her voice.

"Amy." The black one returned, his voice telling of a waiters whose wait had ended, with more than favorable results. 

The girl of light embraced the shadow, tears running down her face. He was here. The dark being she had longed for, for so long it felt. They were together now, under a sliver sun. Warm. Comforted. Together. These were all the things they wanted, and all the things they needed. Now, they were happy…

But the grass turned a dull, dead yellow, and the sun fell to the earth, dim and cold. The tree rotted and turned a sickly purple and in an instant, the warm and beautiful landscape was replaced by a mat of deformed, cold death. 

The child of light watched all of this in horror. And the dark angel, with scarred red globes, globes just moments before filled with happiness, was no more than ash blowing on a hollow breeze.

"….no…" tears fell again, but not ones of joy. 

It was gone. The light, the joy. The love. And she was alone, just as when she could truly be called young. Alone. 

ALONE.

"NOOOOO!!!!"

------------------------------------------------

Awaken. And what does she see? The rain as subsided for the time. A black and blue sky of night, yet it is not, it only appears as such. 

Amy sighed. She hated her dreams as much as she loved them. They were so real… she could feel the warmth of the grass beneath her feet, drink in the silver light of a sun, and…. she could see her shadowed angel, breath in his scent; see him… hear him….

Tears came unbidden from emerald globes, globes rife with pain and loneliness. She was beginning to hate existing itself, if waking offered no comfort, and her dreams only tortured her with tastes of what could have been real. 

Another sigh. Perhaps that tree would still be there….

-----------------------------------------------------

Sonic lay upon a bench in the same park that harbored that tree. It allowed for leaning, it could almost be used as a bed, if need be. Sonic had no need for a bed; sleep was the last thing he wished to obtain. He hated his dreams. They showed him visions of an angel in red, with brown furred wings, a being perfect in every manner, something that made him whole in a way he had wanted for so long. He also loved his dreams. 

But, all that's all they were, dreams. They weren't real. This begged the question: was she real? Sonic was terrified of the answer. What if she wasn't? God, he needed her. She gave her something he had never felt, something he needed in order to breathe properly. What if she was no more than an illusion? A picture that could walk and talk and pretend to be capable of love, yet have no soul, and give no true love? The thought of it terrified him more than a thousand of Eggman's armies. The thought of it is why he did not notice the blue furred girl sit down next to him.

"Hiyas!" A friendly voice greeted.

"Huh!?" instantly the troubled blue hedgehog was snapped out of his revere.

"Hi." She greeted him. She seemed happy to see him, and carried a level of affection reserved for very close friends, or perhaps even lovers. 

Sonic did not know what to make of this, so he returned an uncertain, "Hi."

"How are you?" a friendly question, but one she obviously wanted answered. 

"I'm…fine." He then decided to take in her appearance: A pretty looking cat furry of light blue fur and eyes. Hair of the same color fell down to the middle of her back. A light purple t-shirt and black pants adorned her, along with black boots. Quite normal, in fact the oddest thing about her was the white necklace around her neck…. 

"You're not okay." She stated. There was no arguing, it was a fact to her.

"Why do you care?" Sonic replied with a simple question, no hidden tones or hints towards thanks at her caring or annoying at it. 

She just smiled.

"Look, I do have a lot on my mind. Could you just go?"

The smile faded. "You're seeing an angel."

To say Sonic's interest jumped would be an understatement. His expression remained the same, but his eyes told of an eagerness to know more.

"You don't know if she's real, and fear that she's not. You cannot enjoy the time you spend together because you don't know if it is truly happening."

"Y-yes…" Sonic was now transfixed upon this seemingly normal girl.

"Let me ask you something." She said it with honesty, as though expecting either possible response. 

Sonic said nothing, but merely nodded. 

"Does it matter?"

"What?" the question caught Sonic off guard. 

"Does it matter if it's real?"

"Yes." He said with complete conviction.

She nodded, seeming to need no more of an answer than that.

"Have hope." She said, her affectionate demeanor returning, "She may just be more real than you think." With that she gave a smile that could have lit up a black hole. She got up.

"Wait."

She looked down at the blue hero.

"What's your name?"

She just smiled. And then she was gone, as though she had never been.

Silence was all that left Sonic. Was this a dream as well? 

Did it matter?

-------------------------------------------------

The grass seemed bright somehow, under the black and blue sky. It was little comfort to the girl curled up under the tree. She sat there, alone. She hated it, being alone. She was alone as a child, but at least then she could take comfort in inanimate objects, her naïve mind giving them life and light. Yet that mind did not comprehend that it's only friends already had minds, and these minds mocked her, patronized her. Imagine how happy this mind must have been when it found that out. 

And just like that, she was alone. Cold and alone. So, she latched onto the first thing that was warm: a blue land cowboy known as Sonic the Hedgehog. And she chased him! How she chased him. She did so, because it made her feel warm, or at least she could ignore the cold. Then, she realized she was unwanted by this comfort, this person. Not that she could blame him, but it did not change the fact she was once again cold. Alone. Then…. 

Then came the being known as Shadow, a person whom also knew loneliness, and pain. But yet this angel in a demons guise knew anger! Vengeance! What could calm his soul; give him peace, if only for a short while.

Why, this pink rose, of course! 

She could give him affection, a reprise from the pain, just as he could her. And for such a brief time, it was good. 

But it wouldn't last. They were on opposing sides of a war that had raged for many years, and this damned them. They were pulled apart long before they wished to be parted, and next time they would meet, she would pull Shadow out a pit of cold hate, and send him to his death. She never even got the chance to kiss him goodbye….

The last she saw of his was a flash of light, as he gave himself to deaths embrace, his mission accomplished. But why? Why did he leave her? Why did he die? It wasn't fair….

More tears. This time, with far more intensity than before. Soon this turned to outright sobbing as her despair and hopelessness took her. She sat their, shaking against the tree, in darkness, just hoping, praying it would stop… but it wouldn't. She nearly collapsed inward as two are encircled her, giving light and warm to the taxed girl, who's consciousness finally gave out.

------------------------------------------------

Innocence. A trait usually gifted to children through naiveté. How lucky they are, that they can enjoy everything so purely, so happily. It is a good thing. Therefore, I always hated situations where innocence could not be enjoyed while it was had, or worse, taken away. This is probably why I felt for Tails plight as I did. He was worried, praying for his friends, losing sleep over their own blight while ignoring his own. Bless the poor boy. 

Still, I do not know what he was doing out on the edge of the "runway cliff" at his home in Mystic Ruins in pouring rain, with an umbrella over his head and a portable heater next to him. 

He sat, and stared at the cold, pounding rain. It had started up, and he had gone to sit out in it. Why? He liked the rain. Although the same could not be said for the sniffling rabbit girl that now looked upon him. One sniffle was promoted to a sneeze and exited.

Tails looked over, surprised. His eyes meet a pitiful site. A shivering, wet, cream colored rabbit, no older than six, looked at him in mild fear.

"Hey, you look cold…" She said nothing.

"Its warm over here, come on." He patted a spot of grass next to him and smiled warmly as the air around him. 

She hesitated, and, nearly collapsing due to her shaking, walked over.

"Y-you look horrible, who long have you been out here?" he asked, more than a bit concerned and afraid for the girl. 

She just huddled in between Tails and the heater, shaking.

Tails was amazed at how thoroughly soaked the girl was. Every inch of her fur was wet, and the dress she wore could have been made of water turned into cloth by an amateur sorcerer who only invoked half the spell.

"You feel okay?" he just knew she was going to come down with a fever, he just knew it…

"I…."

"Yes?" he said.

She sniffled a bit, yet did not sneeze. "I'm Cweam."

She had a lisp, Tails realized. "I'm Miles, but everyone calls me Tails." He smiled reassuringly. 

She smiled a bit. "Okay...Tails."

He smiled right back. They stayed out by the heater, watching the rain. It was warmer out here than it could hope to be inside, right now. 

---------------------------------------------------

Deep within an endless labyrinth of steel and smoke, a single being stirred. This being was the creature know as Ivo Robotnik. He was a creature of desire. He desired power with which to create a mechanical heaven, or hell, depending on your point of view. He believed his desire would soon be sated, by a voice, a whisper.

Can you hear him, imploring, begging the voice, with a mixture of anticipation, greed, and disgust? Can you hear it whisper his name? And then…taunt him? Laugh as he screams in rage? Can you hear it?

Then can you tell me, do you think this is a portent of doom?

---------------------------------------------------------

AN: I wanted to break out of the sort of rut I was getting into. I think it worked, myself. This is going somewhere, basically what's supposed to be happening is set up, and in some cases, "building up steam" so to speak. Anyway… if this chapter seemed more bizarre than normal, this is because I wrote this in the early morning hours, so, nyeh. 

Also, Cream will not die of pneumonia in the next chapter. Right. With that said, ja!


	5. Day Three, Choices and Beginnings

Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic the Hedgehog in any way, Sega does.

Hello, your friendly neighborhood author here. I come bearing another chapter. I took the skits out of the intros because they seemed to mess with the mood. If anyone wants them back, tell me. If enough people want em' back, I'll bring em' back. Till then, you get to deal with me. Lucky you. I had something to say about this chapter, but I think its better left to the story to tell you.

Annnyways… this chapter is weird in places. I've got to remember not to drink coke and write at the same time. 

Diet: Or maybe you're just weird? 

Shut it. Anyway, on with the show!

---------------------------------------------------

"A Whisper in the winds" a Sonic the Hedgehog fanfic by A Lonely Gray Kitsune.

---------------------------------------------------

He walked. It was not something he did, his gift was in running. Yet, he walked. It let him think more than running did, running required concentration, took him away from everything, leaving him in his own personal world of blurs and adrenaline. One only one soul could ever join him in….

The green canopy above him showed little of the 1 am sky above him. It didn't matter. What he wished to see was a revelation. He had been pondering the matter ever since he'd talked with that blue cat in Station Square. The matter was simple: reality.

What was it? Sonic had determined that it was not what one could see, or taste, or touch. Those were little more than electrical impulses interpreted by his brain. Too simple. Too easily manipulated. Then, what was it? 

Was it what one knew? After all, you don't know it exists if you don't know of it. So, if no one tells you of it, who's to say it's real? That didn't make sense to his ears. It felt wrong. 

Love was real. He loved her. Did that make her real? Did it make her a thinking, feeling thing? If a machine can feel, love, hate, cry, then is it human? 

Yes, it is. So, if this dream could feel, as she obviously did, and think, as she obviously did, then was she real? Yes…. But still, was this love a concoction of his mind? Could his mind do that? He smelled her scent, saw, and felt love in her eyes, heard her laughter….could his mind really make all that up? Was he in love with a figment of his own imagination? 

She wouldn't tell him… what was she afraid of? Could it be that she really wasn't real? That he was really just alo-

He picked up speed, running for the Mystic Ruins. 

-------------------------------

An endless meadow. Simply endless. It went on for miles upon miles upon miles without stopping. Somewhere in this endless expanse of green, a tree sat. Under this tree, were two girls, one of blue fur and light, one of pink fur and darkened light. 

Amy sat there, marveling at it all, safe from her demons, but how? If she knew questioning it would drive it away, would she still have questioned it, this feeling of safety and warmth? Did she know she would never truly feel this warmth again? Would she have just given herself to it, and forgotten her many plights, for a time? Forever? Such are questions that will never be answered. But she did question it, and it did leave, this much I know. 

The meadow seemed to stretch farther out and away, until it ripped, and tore apart. It was replaced by a stone walkway, an infinitely smaller meadow, a bench, a park. But the tree remained, as did the arms wrapped around her. She looked behind her, a found a light blue cat furry. A female light blue cat furry. Many would make less than polite assumptions from this, yet she seemed to know this girls intentions were pure. Besides, it felt nice. 

"Who are you, then?" she said quietly to herself and her companion.

"Just a visitor." The girl responded quietly.  

"Oh! You're awake." Amy said, as she began to rise.

"No, stay." The other said, pulling her back down. "It's warmer here."

"Yeah… it is…" Amy had felt the air around her as she rose change from comfortable, golden warmth to icy, vaporous chill. "Are you doing that?"

A soft smile from her companion. "It's not important."

"I guess it's not…" she said, a bit nervous about the situation.

"Do you want to stay with me?" the girl seemed uncertain now.

"Um…what?" the question caught her off-guard, as though she hadn't expected it. 

"Here, with me?" she seemed to be offering shelter, yet at the same time sadly asking her to leave. Did Amy grasp what the girl was offering? Did she see the meaning behind those words?

A pause that lasted a world's lifetime and no longer than a second followed. And then…

"No…" she said, seeming to become cold and scared just by saying it. She did understand then, on a certain level. It was enough.

A sad, regretful look crossed over the other's face. "I see… I shouldn't have asked, you wouldn't have accepted one way or the other."

"Light?" Amy implored, almost meekly.

Surprise, unconcealed and honest, seized the girl. "What did you call me?"

"Light… I'm sorry, I'm just… scared." Amy didn't seem to notice Light's surprise.

Quickly recomposing herself, she responded. "Scared?"

"I… I'm sorry, it's just…" the pink angels' eyes teared up, barely holding in the sorrow they contained.

"Amy…" Light said, her voice containing nothing more than compassion and concern.

"I'm scared… and cold. Why did he leave me? I loved him, didn't he love me?" her voice barely kept from cracking, though she could not stop the shaking she now was subject to. Tears escaped, adding to the mess Amy was quickly becoming. 

"Amy, he loved you…" Light said, imploring her to believe that she had indeed been loved.

"T-then, why did he die? H-he could've, could've lived…but he died. He chose to die. He chose to... to abandon me…" Her voice sounded like the cry of a kitten that had been left for dead long ago by its mother.

"Amy… I, I can't tell you what he was thinking. I don't know. But he didn't abandon you. He loved you. Amy…. the answers will come. But you must weather the cold." She replied, trying to bring the girl back from the pit she now stared into.

She looked up at her ally, one of precious few. "Would they have come if I had stayed in the warmth?" A question, a wish to know if she made the right choice.

"No… they wouldn't have." Light said, almost pensively. She seemed to see something else when she looked at Amy, if only for a moment. Something seemed to fade in her eyes…

The warmth left Amy, leaving nothing but cold.

Light's voice seemed to crack with sorrow, as though she would never see her pink furred companion again. "Be brave, Amy Thorn Rose… he would've wanted that…" 

"Wha? But…." Her confusion and sorrow gave way to resolve, a quiet, unbreakable promise. "I will." 

"Thank you." Light seemed comforted, relived by this. Odd, when she had come to comfort, rather than be comforted herself. She faded…

"Wait…" Amy implored quietly, hurt by her friends leaving.

A warm, gentle smile was the last of the blue furred cat that Amy saw. And again, Amy was alone, with only the morning light lapping at her feet as company.  

----------------------------------

He lurks, in his spire of cold, lifeless steel, waiting for his new ally, his new master, to speak. So patient is he, taking taunts, mysteries, riddles, knowing all the while it will pay off, that it will finish playing with him soon. And then, the reward for providing entertainment… POWER.

Luscious, delicious power, just waiting to be wielded, power he deserved to wield! And he would! So soon, he would!

There… the giver of power… he can hear it. It's laughter. It's mad, insane, enraging laughter. It sounds like the devil's laughter, does it not? Disgusting noise. Finally, it quits after a time.  

"X-715. Come here." He orders of his dead slave. It hovers over.

"Yes, sir?" it asks in complete monotone. No emotion. No life. No soul.

"What just happened?" he asked in tone that speaks of a man preparing to do something that will change everything.

"You were just-"

BANG. 

BANG.

Bangbangbangbangbangbangbangbangbangbangbangbang-

"What the hell are you doing?" a voice asks, tinted with annoyance. This voice, it sounds… familiar. A voice of a hero, no… it is twisted. An amused, cold, sadistic voice, one of a black-souled cat that likes to play with its food before it slaughters it. A perversion of a heroes voice, an anti-hero.

Metal Sonic walked out from a shadow in the far corner of the room. He gazed upon an egg-shaped demon of metal, which held a smoking red gun over a corpse that had only been robbed of sentience. He put the gun away.

"He will come, tomorrow." He announced, as though saying God would declare him the one on that day. Perhaps in his mind, he thought as much.

"Ivo…" he said, annoyance mixed with just a small, faint hint of…sadness? Out of that creature?

"Trust me. Tomorrow it begins." His confidence was pure, if anything of his could be.

Metal said nothing, but turned and left.

He left an oil stained madman in that room, one of the verge of demonhood.

----------------------------------

Eleven am? Close, but time is not important. Turn your thoughts away from metal daemons, to two children, sleeping next to a spent heater after a rainfall. An umbrella sits idly by, forgotten, not that it minds. Look at the them, the rabbit leaning against the fox, who in turn leans against the heater. Aren't they just adorable, these two happy, innocent, carefree little furballs? 

Would it jar you to know neither is carefree? That neither is truly happy, or fully innocent? That they soon will face terrors that no man, let alone child, should have to face? Would it jar you to know that there lives could violently end in a matter of days? Would it sadden you? Do you look upon them now with a bittersweet affection, knowing they may never know this peace again? 

What is wrong with this picture? They are good children, little angels, really. They wouldn't harm a soul, given a choice. They don't deserve what's coming for them, to fight a war, to risk death. What the hell is wrong with a world that lets' this happen!? It's not fair, it's not fair, do you hear me!? IT'S NOT FAIR!

….at least… at least they have now….

-------------------------------------

Rouge watched the island just float there. A heavenly place, a place of green meadows soft as a bed of feathers, white peaks shining proudly in their height, crystal blue waters, clear and pure as the sun… its beautiful. Yet one could not enjoy it. One trapped by paradise. 

Knuckles D. Echidna. She wanted to join him, to turn his prison into an Eden. But she couldn't; heaven was too far away, the angels shunned her. But she would find a way up there, no matter if heaven or hell wished to stop her. 

But… it looked so… alien, floating there. So dark. It scared her so badly, and she knew not why. The heaven was turning pale, and she feared for her red angel. 

She feared, yet she would find a way to enter the dimming palace, this she resolved.

She stood poised on a cliff standing before an ocean. She had the perfect view of Angel Island. 

She had the perfect location from which to watch it explode into an inferno of black-purple fire. 

She had the perfect place from which to watch the end begin.

------------------------------------------

AN: And it's done! I didn't expect to get it out so soon. Well, here it is. Personally, I could have put more work into Sonic's scene, but hey, I like it. I wanted to end with the Tails and Cream scene, but the last part sets the stage for things to swing into motion. Which they will. Oh yes, they will. oO

Ahem. I think the Amy and Light scene is quite weird. But I'm too lazy to redo it, and it gets across what it's meant to. Did some good stuff to it while proofreading; looking over your work really does help, it seems. I feel like I hit a stride with this chapter; hopefully I can continue to do so.

Thanks to all who reviewed, you're the reason any of my work is being shown anywhere at all. You guys are great. 

Cherry: Does this mean the end is nigh?

No, the plot just gets moving come next chapter. Now let me sleep.


	6. Day Three, Death and Fear

Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic the Hedgehog in any way. SEGA does.

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"A Whisper in the winds", a Sonic the Hedgehog fanfiction by A Lonely Gray Kitsune.

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A silver sun turned a dull red. Green, vibrant meadows turned to a dead, black rot. A tree…. a tree turned into a tortured, black monstrosity, screaming endlessly, shrieking its eternal death cry, praying, calling out for release. 

It would never come. Nor did it matter.

A girl clad in red looked upon this pitiable realm with sorrow. She remembered the tranquil sea of green, the happy, shining sun… the proud, strong tree… she hated looking upon this place now. It brought her such sadness, this dead world. So why was she here?  

Her gaze found something she had not seen before, a rock. Slowly, with a cautious gait, she made her way over. She found the rock was an ugly dark yellow-brown, she cold hear a vague moaning coming from it, almost as if it were suffering under a disease…

"Amy."

She gasped, and looked up. Shadow had greeted her like this, with her name, yet there wasn't a relaxed relief in the voice. It held urgency, and a sense of resignation, as though the speaker had fought what it must now do to the death.  Perhaps it did.

She looked up, and saw that the speaker was far younger than Shadow, and not even of the same species. A small rabbit in a red dress greeted her eyes, no more than a child of six. Yet, the voice seemed far older… less innocent than a child's should.

"Who?" was Amy's perplexed question. For some reason, she felt as though she was not expecting this person, that her appearance was a great shock. 

"Amy… I don't have much time. There's so much I want to tell you, I'm sorry…."

"What?" 

"Please, don't speak. I have to warn you, now. You're being hunted by a wolf with red eyes…"

A curling bolt of fear struck through Amy. "R-red eyes?" The fear in her voice was more than apparent. 

The child nodded.

"W-who… who is this wolf?" The fear her voice came out quiet, shaking, afraid of the answer, but needing it at the same time….

"... I can't stay…"

"Wait! I have to know! Please…" Begging. Desperately begging for a face to this fear she now felt…

"I'm sorry... I can't… sorry…" she faded.

As Amy watched, and she realized that this person had given her life to give her that warning. And it was useless to her. That person's final act had been in vain….

She put her hand to the air where the girl had been. "No… I'm sorry…" she whispered, "I'm so sorry. I'll be careful, I promise…"

With that, the poisoned, mocked dream faded, never to feel light upon it again.

----------------------------------------

Amy awoke under a tree that somehow seemed darker than she remembered it. The warm, living light no longer lapped at her toes. In its place was a dull, gray light left by a ceiling of gray, hiding the sky…. or perhaps destroying it altogether. She rose, and started to walk home. This place was no longer a haven to her.

----------------------------------------

She's dead…

It was the one thought that tore throughout his mind. Dead…

He kneeled down next to her. Ran his hand gently against the soft, pure fur, such beautiful fur… dead fur.

Dead.

He picked up the small, delicate body, cradled it in his arms… she was gone. She had hurt no one, on the contrary, she had done nothing but try to help her friends… tired to help him. She'd been a sister to him; she'd talk to him when no one else was around, hold him when the loneliness and cold overwhelmed him… and now… now…

She was dead. Dead.

DEAD.

Knuckles let out a scream that would've shattered the heavens, had they existed at the time.

----------------------------------------

Station Square… they'd done a good job rebuilding, at least Sonic thought so. He walked along the sidewalk just beside Emerald Coast. It was beautiful… he wished she could enjoy it with him….

She. Her. No name… Sonic wondered if she even had a name. Did it matter? He wasn't sure… he'd like to be able to call her something. Anything. 

He stopped and leaned against the stone railing that separated city from beach. The sunset was wonderful tonight, the sky was a wonderful blend of orange, pink, yellow that seemed so deep that you could fall into it and never stop falling… and never want to. 

All it needed to be perfect was his angel.

----------------------------------------

Knuckles gently set the mango furred angel down, running his hand along her face, closing her eyes… feeling that soft, comforting fur one last time…

The Guardian stood, and turned. And lo, there it was, the monstrosity that took his sister.... grinning. Mocking. Happy, happy that it had killed her! 

Rage burned him alive. Vengeance became his sole thought. Vengeance against this thing, this demon. Explosions of dark, almost black purple fire filled the air, seeming to burst form every point in the ground… it ran. He chased, ignoring the explosions, the burns he was swiftly gaining…

Had he been thinking clearly, he would have wondered at the speed with which the obscenity ran with….  

----------------------------------------

It really was beautiful. Sonic wondered why thing like this couldn't exist more often. But he knew why.

If they were common, they would lose the rarity that made them special, would become normal. They wouldn't be as magical. 

Things like these were so rare; he wished she were here to enjoy it with him. He might never see a sunset like this again…

----------------------------------------

It ran to the edge of the floating earth, and leapt high above the blue floor that awaited it. Knuckles stopped at its departure point and stared upwards, watching it descend for Station Square. He said nothing, silent as death as he took to the air after the demon…

…. A demon with quills. BLUE quills… 

Knuckles didn't give this a second thought. One had to wonder if he could.

----------------------------------------

None of them would, if Eggman had his way. All Sonic had ever wanted up until recently was a way for his friends not to have to live in fear of death everyday, to wake up ever morning and wonder if the scythe would be made of steel, drip oil. That wasn't fair; no one should have to live with that. Amy, Tails…they were just kids, yet they had to be haunted by the thought that this day might be there last…

All he wanted was peace. And her.

----------------------------------------

He hit the beach. His eyes darted around, searching for they're prey with a wild, screaming lust for its blood. 

There. THERE.

He charged, letting lose the yell of an avenging angel….

Sonic had no idea what happened. One moment, a curling fear ran down his spine, the next, he was in a hole in the wall of the building across from the beach. In great pain.

The he didn't even have time to slump before a large, powerful hand burning with rage lifted him up. He barely managed to tilt his head up, yet still saw him…

"K..knuckles?"

One word, barely legible, exited the echidna's mouth. "Die."

Death came for Sonic not through a metal scythe, but a gloved one.

"NO!!!"

Death stopped no more than a half-inch away from Sonics face. Emerald eyes looked for their savior….

…and found soft orange angel to be the one. A crying, burnt angel.

All rage left Knuckles. He dropped Sonic, and faced Tikal, unbelieving. "T…Tikal?"

She held his arm in as best a grip as she could manage, and looked up at him, crying freely. "Please don't kill him..." 

"But…he…"

"It wasn't him! It couldn't have been…it…it…" she seemed so close to just breaking apart. So close…

He held her as though she were made of glass. For all he knew, she was. "What?" All hate, anger and rage was gone from his voice. In their place, was compassion, worry, fear…

"It…got into the Master Emerald… Knuckles, it… it killed the chao!" with that last wail, she buried her head into Knuckles chest, and sobbed.

Knuckles just stood, staring down at Tikal, mouth agape. Tikal had been like a mother to the chao living in the emerald… "It…the chao? What about Chaos?"

"Gone…all gone…" the mango echidnas world had completely shattered. The only thing keeping her together now was her brother.

Sonic couldn't have been hit as hard as Knuckles with this, but he came close. "Oh…jesus…what did this?"

Knuckles turned his gaze to the hedgehog. "Something that looked like you. Exactly like you…."

"So that's why you attacked me…" Knuckles turned his gaze downward.

"Hey, hey, I forgive you…I'd have done the same thing if a look-a-like of you killed Tails…"

Knuckles didn't know whether he should be comforted by that or not… 

He stroked Tikal's dreadlocks, trying to provide some comfort to the grief-wracked echidna. 

Sonic looked skyward to see the burning Island "God…what do we do now? Could we try and take it back?"

"I don't think so…it's lost to us, now…" Knuckles stared at up at his former prison, watched as it burned under the worst of fires…

They both stood, trying to figure out what would happen next. Neither of them had been in this situation before, there was a pattern not being followed. The road ahead was going to be especially hard.

Ah, but here comes some familiarity. A soft rumbling, followed by an explosion of pavement and dust. The two heroes were far enough away that they were not affected by this, but very much close enough to see what arouse from the hole in the earth. 

A large, swollen red head, with two arms of destruction on head side, cannons. A cold, gray tail twisted and writhed underneath, as the thing floated there, staring at the antromorphs… 

Knuckles took a moment to figure out what it was, yet Sonic knew immediately. The thing that he had dueled with for so long….

"Eggman."

----------------------------------------

Amy opened the door to her apartment. God, she was tired. She missed Shadow. She missed being warm, safe... 

She sighed. At least she could get some sleep, now. She flicked the living room light on, and stared into the quarters. The light was dim, making the whole room seem falsely lit, almost as if there was no light at all. The couch was completely black, almost as if it were made of darkness. It just sat there, like it was waiting for a foolish child to touch it… and something sat on it…

Amy walked over, both apprehension and curiosity in her steps, picked up a bit of blue that could be seen from the couch. She brought it into the tenuous light…

…and saw her old Sonic doll. A childhood memory. Her eyes widened. A childhood memory. With red eyes.

She dropped the doll like it was made of fire. It was in full view now, and a note could be seen attached to its stomach:

WANNA PLAY?

----------------------------------------

Well… I was going to add in a scene with Tails and Cream, but it ended with a cliff hanger, and I think two cliff-hangers is enough.  

I'd like to apologize for the amount of time it took for me to get this out. It seems all ability to write left me in the past few weeks. I'm not even sure this chapter is very good, and I apologize if that's the case. I wanted this done with so I could get working on the rest of the story. I think whatever curse befell me has lifted recently, so the next chapter…could still take a while to get out. It should be decently long, however, so it'll be worth it. I hope. x_x

Ehhh… tell me if this is up to snuff with the rest of the fic. Pwease? You'll be helping me out a lot… I'll give you a cookie, or something. 

Right…um… bai. *disappears in an explosion of plushies*


	7. Authors Note

Hello again...sorry, I don't have a chapter for you.

You have no clue how much I hate that. Ahem. Since the creation of the last chapter of A Whisper in the Winds, the plot of this story has gone through major revisions. Before, I was just making things up as I went along. A flurry of new ideas, however, casued me to stop, and try and plan out what was going to happen next. Not to say I wasn't planning at all, it just caused me to do some needed fleshing out to areas of the plot. 

The end result is appealing, yet I have had no urge to write it. I realise now that this is due to the fact that the orginal plan involved to much action for my taste. I'm not attempting to try and make it more enjoyable for me to write...and figure out if thats even the problem to begin with. I've been having trouble writing as of late. Messing around with my..."style" as you could call it. Trying too hard, I think.

Or maybe I just haven't really felt like writing. Whats the point of all this? Well, the next chapter of Whisper could be a ways away.

You have no idea how much I hate typing that. It leaves alot of people (at least a few, anyway) that wanted to read more hanging. I should write for myself first and foremost, but I can't help but feel...I don't know. Pressured? I shouldn't feel that about writing. 

BLEH...quite alots going thorugh my head on that subject. Don't worry, I'll get it sorted out, and start writting again soon. Heck, I've even got a great idea for Nightlife. So hey! Maybe this will help me get Whisper going in the right direction again. Who knows. I just thought I'd put this (which probably makes very little sense, if any, this is typical of my rants/babblings) put for anyone who was wondering where this story had gone. No, its not dead. I have every intention of finishing it. I just need to figure this out a bit more, I guess.

...the fact I'm plain lazy probably doesn't help. ^_^; A note within a note, check my profile every once in awhile. I tend to update it more than post notes in fanfictions. Only reason I'm doing putting this in is because I think I owe an explanation on where the story went.

So, yeah. I may start posting up random ideas that turned into stories (like Nightlife), just to prove I haven't forgotten how to write. =P

That would be fun...anyway. Until the next time I have something to post. *bows, and vanishes in some random way*


End file.
